Box-car loader.



J. M. CHRISTY.

BOX CAR LOADER. APPLICATION nuzn Aue.21. 1912.

1,186,882. Patented June 13, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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Mil messes J. M. CHRISTY.- BQX' 'CAR LOADER. APPucmoN FILED A ue.2|, 1912.

Patented J line 13, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

J. M. CHRISTY.

BOX CAR LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG Zadnesses a ma THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH 00., WASHINGTON, D. c.

JOSEPH. M. CHRISTY, OF DES-MOINES, IOWA.

Box-can Leanna.

menses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 21, 1912. Serial No. 717,206.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, JosnPi-I M. OHRrs'rY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at. Des Memes 1n the count of Polk and State n I of Iowa, have invented a certainnew and,

useful -Box-Car Loader, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention belongs to that type of box car loader particularly designed for loading coal into box cars and in which the loader proper consists of a conveyor into which the coal is received from the chute and which then carries the coal toward the ends of the box car, the loader proper being mounted upon a truck, which truck is capable of movement into and out of the box car through'one of the'side door openings there of. In devices of this kind, the loader prop-er with the conveyer-thereon must be of relatively great length in order to convey the material from the supply'chute at the center of the box car to the desired point near the end of the box car, and when this is done, there is considerable difficulty in inserting or removing the loader proper into I or from the interior of the boxcar, onac-- count of the fact that the width of the side door opening is limited andthe width of the car is also limited. 7

The object of my invention is to provide a box car leader of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, so arranged that the loader frame having the conveyer thereon may be inserted through the side door open-:

ing of the box car diagonally and then swung to position longitudinally of the car on the interior thereo-f,so that a relatively long loader frame may be used and may be inserted in and removed'from a box car very quickly and easily.

More specifically it is my object to provide a movable truck for box car loaders and a track and guide device for the truck, soarranged that the end of the truck contain ing the loader may be inserted through the side door of the box car diagonally and then 7 the truck containing the loader may be.

moved through a segment of a circle, to

thereby move the loader frame from a point.

near one end of the car to apoint near the other end thereof, to provide for continuously receiving material on top of the loader conveyor and for directing saidmaterial to any desired part of the interior of the box car without throwing the material to any loader conveyer. v

Myinvention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination, with a movable truck and a loader thereon, of means for pivotally supporting the movable truck so that the loader may be inserted into or removed froma box car diagonallyand whereby the other objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set-forth,

pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a top or planview of the box car loader embodying my invention, the loader frame being shown within a box car, the latter being illustrated in horizontal sec tion. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of a' loader frame and part of the movable-truck on which the loader frame is pivoted and a part of the rotatable platform which supports the movable truck, portions of the truck and platform being illustrated in sec' tion. Fig. 3 shows a detail, sectional view illustrating a part of the rotatable platform, amotor thereon and a means for driving the truck longitudinally and also the meansfor rotating the truck platform, and Fig. 4 shows a sectional view on the line 1-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring tothe accompanying drawings,

I have used the reference numeral 10 to in- Patented une 13, 1916.

' considerable distance beyond the end of the 7 v V dicate a box car. Arranged at the side of the track on which the box car is mounted is a stationary platform 11 having thereon, at a point adjacent to the boxcar, a turn table member 12 through which a vertically arranged bolt 13 is extended. A stationary, segmental guide rail 14: is arranged on the stationary platform 11, concentric to the turn table 12. At opposite end portions of thissegmental stationary guide rail 1d aretwo tracks 15 and 16 shown in Fig. 1.

Mounted upon the stationary turn table member 12 is a rotary turn table member 17, having a segmental turn table 18 mounted thereon. The turn table members 12 and17 are preferably provided with bearing balls 19. The-rotatable platform 18. comprises two track members composed of channel bars in which the supporting wheels ofthe movable truck, hereinafter described, are mounted for longitudinal movement and the tracks 15 and 16 are also made of the same size and kind of channelbar. On each side to thereby of the shaft 21 will cause the pivoted plat-, form 18 to be rotated. Fixed to the shaft 21 is a pinion 24, which pinion may be driven from anelectric motor or other source of power carried by the movable truck.

The movable truck is indicated generally by the reference numeral 25 and is provided on its outer end portion w1th an electrlc motor26 or other suitable source of power, and

rotate in either direction,

is'also provided with a rotatable axle 27 on which are the supporting wheels 28 which runinthe channel bars of the pivoted platform 18, as shown in Fig. 4. I

I have'providedfor rotatingrthe axle 27 as desired by the power for the motor 26 as follows: On the motor shaft isa pinion 29' in mesh with a large cog wheel 30 on the V truck frame. The cog wheel 30 is connected to a pinion 31 and is in mesh with a large cog wheel32 onthe truck frame. This cog wheel 32 is in mesh with a'smaller cog wheel 33 which is fixed to the longitudinal shaft 34." On the'longitudinal shaft 34 are two beveled pinions 35 each of which is rotatably mounted, and said beveled pinions 35 are on opposite sides of'the shaft 27. Connected with each of the beveled pinions 35 is a friction clutch "member 36 designed to coact with'a mating friction clutch member 37 slidably mounted on the shaft 34. The two sliding clutch members are connected with each other by the levers 38 and 39-and the link 40 so that when one clutch mem-- her is in operative position, the other will be disengaged. Fixed to the shaft 27 is a beveled pinion 41 in mesh with both of the pinions 35. Hence, by a manipulation of the lever 38, the axle 27 may be caused to to thereby move the truck longitudinally of form 18 or of the tracks'1'5 and 16.

- l/Vhen the movable truck is in a certain position of its movement, as for instance, when in the position shown in Fig. 1, it may be desirable to move the pivoted platform from one limit of its movement to the other,

and for this purpose, I have provided the following meoha'nism: Loosely mounted upon the shaft 34 is a cogwheel 42 connected with a friction clutch member43, which coacts with a friction clutch member 44 slidingly mounted on'the shaft 34 and con trolled by the lever 45. The pinion 24 that is fixed to the shaft 21 is so positioned that when'the truck is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the two pinions 24 and 42 will be in mesh, whereupon, by a manipulation of the the pivoted platlever 45, the shaft 21 may be rotated to move the pivoted platform to any position of its adjustment.

In order to provide for a movement of the the inner end of the shaft 21 upon an eccentric 49 connected to a lever 50, which lever 50 is connected by a link 51 to a lever 52 fulcrumed to the side of the pivoted platform 18 as shown in Fig. By this arrangement, the operator may first move the truck to position with either one of the wheels 42 or 46 directly above the wheel 24, then by a manipulation of the lever 52, the wheel 24 may be thrown into mesh with either one of said cog wheels and then the lever 45 may be manipulated to rotate the shaft 21 in the desired direction.

For convenience in description, I have termed theend of the truck 25. that is designed to enter the box car, as the inner end.

Rotatably mounted on the inner end of the truck 25 is a turn table member 53 sup tion, and have been fully illustrated and described in my Patent No. 648,897, issued May 1, 1900, on a box car loader.

The reference numeral indicates the chute through which material may be run into, a box car and upon the loader convcyer from the side opposite the roller platform.

7 It is desirable in a device of this kind to have the loader frame extend into the interior of the box car a considerable distance from the side door openings. In some instances, a truck frame has been extended straight into the interior of a box car and then the loader frame moved longitudinally of the box car relative to the truck which supports it, as for instance, in Patent No. 648,897, issued to me on May 1, 1900, for a.

box car loader. There are, however, some structural difficulties in connection with a device of this kind which have been overcome in my present construction.

Some of the advantages of my'invention are that by running the truck out of a box car diagonally, the platform on which the truck is supported will not occupy so much space at the side of the truck as would be necessary if the truck frame ran out of a frame. capable of swinging through a segment of a circle, the centralportion of the loader frame may be moved longitudinally within a box car a distance of four or five feet without sliding the loader frame relative to the truck. Hence, by the use of a relatively long loader frame, which is made possible in a structure of this kind, and by this longitudinal movement of the innerend of the truck frame, I am enabled to load material close to the ends of a box car withoutthe necessity of sliding the loader conveyer relative to the inner end of the truck. Hence, the parts may be made very strong and durable and the device may be run into and out of a box car very readily and easily without danger of injuring the box car.

I am aware that in the prior art it has been customary to provide an apparatus for loading box cars which consisted of a track, a conveyer, a supporting truckupon this track capable of being projected into and out of a box car, and a pivoted conveyer frame on the end of'the conveyer supporting truck. I am also aware that in some instances this element referred to as a track has been pivoted. I have, however, efiected a new combination including these elements and have thereby produced a result not attainable by any of the prior art devices. This new element in the combination consists in the pivoting of the track at one end at a point which will be adjacent to the side of the box car being loaded, so that the entire track with the conveyer supporting truck on it, may swing in a horizontal plane about that end of the track that is adjacent to the box car being loaded. This new element in the combination produces a new and very advantageous result which has notheretofore been attained. This new result may be stated as follows: It is to be. understood that the position of the box car with reference to the track that is pivoted at one end, 1s necessarily fixed, becauseof the fact that the coal chute must be introduced through the door of the box car at theslde opposite from the loader. Furthermore the length of the elevator frame is necessarily limited by reason of the limited and fixed size of the box cars to be loaded withregard to the width of said cars and to the width of the door openings. There is, therefore, a fixed length beyond which the length of the loader frame cannot be extended. It is furthermore, desirable to extend a delivery end of the conveyer frame to a considerable distance within the box car and adj acentcto the end thereof. In certain prior artdeviees this extending of the loader frameto' a point near theend of the car to be loaded has been effected by sliding the loader frame longitudinally upon the truck which supports the loader frame. This is objectionable in that it involves additional expense in the construction, and "makes the parts more complicated and more likely to get out of order. I

By my improved "construction the truck which carries the conveyer frame is pro jected diagonally'through the car door and the conveyer frame is pivoted only at its center tothe end of this truck and is not 'slidable. but by reason of the truck being strength and durability of the conveyer frames that aresimply pivoted at their center to the supporting truck.

'Another advantage gained by the new combination is that the pivoted track itself need not be expensive and complicated because whenthe'truck is moved out over the track to a point fully extended out of the box car, its upper end rests upon the stationary track so that-there is no excessive strain upon the truck when in any of its positions such as would be the case ifthe pivotal point of the track had to carry all of the weight of the conveyer supporting truck in all of its positions.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a box car loader, the combination of a track pivoted at one end and capable of swinging in a horizontal plane, said track 1 arranged and proportioned that theend of the truck containing the conveyer maybe projected through the side door opening of the car in a direction extendingdiagonallv ofthc car toward'one end thereof, and their the said truck with its conveyerand the track may be moved through an angle approximating ninety degrees to thereby extend the conveyor to position adjacent to the opposite end of the box car being loaded, without moving the boX car and without sliding the conveyer on its truck.

2. In a device of the class described, a combinationcof a track section pivotally supported to swing in a horizontal plane, two

i stationary'track sections in position to be in line with the pivoted track section at different positions of the movement of the pivoted track. section, a truck capable of movement on said track and a loader frame having aconvever therein pivotally mounted on said truck.

In a device ofthe class described, a

combination of a track section pivotally supported to swing in a horizontal plane, two

stationary track sections in position to be 1n hnc w th the pivoted track section at difstationary track sections in position to be in line with the pivoted track section at different positions ofthe movement of the pivoted track section, a truck capable of movement on said tracks, a loader frame having aconveyer therein pivotally mounted on said truck, and means carried by the truck for swinging it horizontally upon its pivot.

5. In a device of the class described, a

combination of a track section pivotally supported to swing in a horizontal plane, two stationary track sections in position to be in line with the pivoted track section at different positions of the movement of the pivoted track section, a truck capable of movement on said tracks, a loader frame having a conveyer therein pivotally mounted on said truck, a prime mover carried by the'truck,

movable track section, a prime mover carried by the truck, a segmental guide having cog teeth therein, a pinion carried by the movable track section and in mesh with said cog teeth, means for operatively connecting the )rime mover with said )inion a loader frame mounted on said truck and a veyer on the loader frame.

7. In a device of the class described, a combination of two track sections arrange on divergent angles and. spaced apart, a pivoted track section capable of being moved into position in line with either of the other track sections, a truck mounted upon the movable track section, a prime mover carried by the truck, a segmental guide ha ving cogteeth therein, a pinion carried by the movable track section and in mesh with said cog teeth, means for operatively connecting thecprime mover with said pinion, a loader frame mounted on said truck, a conveyer on the loader frame and guide wheels carried by the movabletrack section to engage said segmental guide to prevent tilting movements thereof.

JOSEPH M. CHRISTY.

con-

iVitnesses S. RoniNsoN,

V. A. Lor'rus.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live centseaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

i Washington, D. G. 

